Using social media platforms, celebrities have recently begun to open up about emotional events and struggles to show a more personal side to the public, making themselves seem more relatable.
Chrissy Teigen’s miscarriage post was something that shocked many people. The emotional moment was shared on September 30, receiving over 537,000 comments.
While Teigen received a lot of support from fans, she also received backlash from the post. Critics of the post said it was too personal of a moment to post on the internet.
Teigen responded to the criticism as well as fans’ loving wishes in an essay she published about a month after the original post.
“I cannot express how little I care that you hate the photos. How little I care that it’s something you wouldn’t have done,” Teigen said. “These photos are only for the people who need them. The thoughts of others do not matter to me.”
Sophomore Joey Beck was stirred by her post.
“I was shocked. I didn’t know how to react,” Beck said. “I couldn’t imagine how devastating that must’ve been for her.”
Beck felts a lot of sympathy for Teigen when seeing the post.
“It made me feel heartbroken,” Beck said. “A day like that would be so hard to go through and my heart goes out to anyone who has to feel that pain”
Beck believes the post likely was able to help many women who have experienced the same trauma.
“I think it is inspiring to other mothers who have gone through that to see that they are not alone.” Beck said.
Sophomore Jessica Deery thought the post was very sad and was surprised that Teigen opened up in such a raw way.
“I was surprised that she shared something so personal with her fans and the internet,” Deery said.
Meghan Markle has also recently shared her miscarriage story, bringing emotions to many fans.
Many have been shocked and inspired by this new transparency celebrities have displayed.
Sophomore Paige Wilkinson was impressed by singer Taylor Swift opening up about her eating disorder and pressure from society about her appearance, especially given Swift’s private nature.
“That fact that she can bring something so personal that she would typically keep private into the spotlight really amazed me and it gave me a different perspective on her.” Wilkinson said.
Deery believes that Swift opening up about her struggles has the potential to help young fans with their own body images.
“I hope others follow Taylor’s example… to show younger audiences that whatever you look like is okay and that you should love yourself,” Deery said.
` Deery, a Demi Lovato fan, appreciates Lovato opening up about her addiction and eating disorders over the course of her career.
“It is breaking down the wall of perfection that is usually portrayed by social media and I think it is helping others to become more aware of mental health, addiction and eating disorders,” Deery said.
Beck believes that the recent increase in celebrities sharing person details is due to a change in the way influencers hope to use their platforms.
“They want to use their platform as a positive way to inspire others,” Beck said.
Beck believes that this will help people because the public wants to be able to relate to celebrities and they cannot relate if the influencers present themselves as perfect.
“Perfect doesn’t exist and by having seemingly “perfect” celebrities, it creates a false image for fans to follow,” Beck said. “It makes them feel like they are weird because they have struggles.”
Beck thinks celebrities opening up about struggles will help the public feel alright with having their own battles. According to Beck, watching a celebrity go through the same struggles as you can inspire you to push through like them.
“Seeing how celebrities cope with their struggles and get through the tough times encourages people to push through and get help for their problems,” Beck said.
Deery believes that this new insurgence of relatability in influencers will raise acceptance of others.
“For so long it has been engraved into social media that influencers are only allowed to look a specific way,” Deery said.
Deery thinks that celebrities breaking down this barrier will help others open up about their struggles as well.
“Most people go with the flow because it is so much easier to just let the current sweep you away,” Deery said. “In the future, the celebrities that open up will probably be praised for starting this change.”